–A new endowment fund at Iowa Lakes Community College will help fund scholarships that were recently established by a Ledyard couple as a way to honor a longtime friend.
The Iowa Lakes Board of Trustees formally accepted the $100,000 gift from Hank and Pam Pedersen during their meeting this month. The endowed funds will build on the Thom-Pedersen scholarships that were established in 2022 by the Pedersen family in memory of their close friend, Robert Anthony Thom.
Thom was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He was a veteran of the United States Army, serving overseas in Germany before returning to Milwaukee and joining the police department. After retiring, Thom spent the final 25 years of his life living in Mesa, Arizona where he met the Pedersen’s.
Thom didn’t have any family, and when he passed away in May of 2022, he left his entire estate to the Pedersen’s.
To honor times service as a police officer and the care he received prior to his death, the Pedersen’s established the Thom-Pedersen scholarships in 2023, which provide $1,000 annually to students at Iowa Lakes who are pursuing degrees in law enforcement and nursing.
The endowment fund will be used to continue these scholarships for generations to come.
